The four-day IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC) is set to open in Doha tomorrow. The 31st edition of the conference will debate the challenges and opportunities airlines and handlers are facing within the region. The event, which will be attended by top industry leaders, will discuss the industry"™s long-term economic outlook.
IGHC 2018 will feature plenary sessions, specialised tracks, workshops and executive summits tackling aspects related to ground handling specifically technology & innovation, safety and challenges related to airport management.
The event will witness two high-level speeches by Nick Careen, IATA"™s Head of Airport Passenger, Cargo, Airport and Security; and Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, tomorrow.
According to IATA, every day about 140,000 flights bring people and goods to their destination, each day some $17.5bn of goods travels by air. IATA forecasts that airlines are planning to boost their capacity by around 5.7 percent and Load factors are forecast to rise to new record of 81.4 percent in 2018 as a result.
Experts will share their experience on GSE (ground support equipment) availability, the efficiency of handling operations and how can lower the potential for flight delays and congestion on stand. A dedicated session will explore the digital transformation of the Procurement to Pay process in ground operations.
A separate workshop will discuss and develop a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in aviation security for different outsourced security functions/services based on existing practices, examples and lessons learned.
Experts will share their experience on how to go beyond with operating under most challenging conditions while providing effective solutions for the customer, implementing new innovative approaches and safety management systems to drive excellence in everything in ground operations.
IATA believes that with the increasing air traffic over the next decade, there will be a growing demand for efficiently managed airports, addressing the traffic flow and apron congestion, providing automated terminals, hassle free security, sustainable buildings and environmental protection, as well as effective passenger transportation systems including parking facilities and connections to/from the city centers.
Focus on Safety will remain a number one priority for regulators pushing airports to implement functioning SMS and oversight as well as facilitate the collaborative decision making environment and investments in new technologies. A dedicated session will focus on the airlines and ground service provider"™ needs for the airport readiness as well as on challenges in the current and future airport management…
